Tebboune calls for the return of the death penalty for arsonists after 12 fatalities in Algeria

Algeria has faced more than 100 wildfires in recent days, mainly in the northeast of the country, near the Mediterranean coast. Although most of them have been extinguished, the fires caused considerable damage and left dozens of people injured.

Following these events, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has called for the reinstatement of the death penalty for people who start fires. At least 12 people have lost their lives in fires this year.

The president has asked the Ministry of Justice to prepare amendments to the penal code so that arsonists can be sentenced to capital punishment, the BBC reported.

During remarks made on Saturday, Tebboune said that the necessary investigations would be carried out, particularly emphasizing the scale and intensity of the fires.

A day later, he set September 15 as the deadline for approving amendments aimed at introducing the death penalty for the deliberate setting of fires in forested areas.

Current legislation punishes deliberate arson in forests with up to 30 years in prison. In certain circumstances, the sentence may also be life imprisonment.

Although the death penalty remains part of Algeria’s penal code for some crimes, the country’s last execution was carried out in 1993.